CHAP. xni. THE HERON ATTACKED. 273 



his head ; another at the same time pecked at him 

 sideways and from before ; whilst the third assailed 

 him from beneath and behind. The third crow, 

 which pecked at him from behind, seized hold of the 

 heron's feet, which being extended at full length 

 backwards, formed a very tempting and prominent 

 object for the crow to fix on. This movement had 

 the effect, each time, of turning the heron over, which 

 was the signal for a general outburst of exultation 

 among the three black rogues, manifested by their 

 louder cawings and whimsical gesticulations, no 

 doubt laughing (if crows can laugh) at seeing their 

 opponent turning topsy-turvy in the air, which, from 

 his unwieldy proportions, was rather a comical sight. 

 " During one of his sommersaults, the heron dis- 

 gorged something, but, unfortunately for him, it was 

 not observed by any of the crows. When it fell 

 to the ground, the magpies, which were still chatter- 

 ing about, fell upon it and devoured it. Finding no 

 relief from what he had dropped, and being still hard 

 pressed, he again disgorged what appeared to be a 

 small fish. This was noticed by one of the hooded 

 crows, who speedily descended, picked it up, and 

 made off with it, leaving his two companions to fight 

 the battle out. The heron, having now got rid of one 

 of his pursuers, determined to fly away in spite of all 

 opposition. But his remaining assailants, either dis- 

 appointed at the retreat of their comrade, or irritated 

 at the length of the struggle, recommenced their 



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